Combined chute and hopper for charging retorts



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. MITCHELL; COMBINED GHUTE AND HOPPER FOR CHARGING RETORTS.

No. 444,249. Patented Jam 6., 1891.

WITNESSES: INVENTO I? $644M Y m/g ATTORNEY.

' (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

K. M. MITCHELL. COMBINED GHUTE AND HOPPER FOR CHARGING RETORTS. N0.444,Z49.

Patented Jan.6, 1891.

INVENTO/i I A TTORNEY.

mus vzrans :04. mow-um UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KERR M. MITCHELL, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

COMBINED CH UTE AND HOPPER FOR CHARGING RETORTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,249, dated January 6, 1891.

Application filed November '7, 1890- Serial No. 370,628. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, KERR M. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Chutes and Hoppers for Charging Retorts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a device or apparatus for charging benches of inclined retorts with coal; and it consists of one or more inclined chutes suitably mounted in the platform of a truck or carriage, and one or more hoppers having swinging doors at the bottom mounted upon the platform of the carriage above the openings of the chutes, each set composed of a chute and hopper being adapted to supply a complete charge of coal at one operation to an inclined retort. Suitable mechanism is provided for simultaneously opening the bottom doors of the hoppers and for traversing the truck on rails, both of which may be operated by a single attendant from the working-floor below the truck. I preferably mount three chutes and three hoppers or a large hopper divided into three GOll1-. partments on a single truck for charging three inclined retorts arranged in the bench in slightly-diiferent vertical lines.

The object of the invention is to provide for quickly and conveniently admitting the charge of coal directly from the hopper by a single attendant into each retort by means of the combined arrangement of the chutes and hoppers in the same movable truck or carriage.

I will now particularly describe my improved apparatus by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical section taken in difierent vertical planes through each of the inclined retorts, which are arranged in different vertical lines in the furnace, and an end view of my charging chutes and hoppers in elevation. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the hopper, the carriage, and head of a charging-chute. Fig. 3 represents a top plan view of the carriage and two hop pers, with one hopper removed for showing the operating mechanism.

I preferably mount three inclined charging chutes in a single carriage and make them of different lengths, so that they will be adapted to charge three inclined retorts L, arranged at different heights in the benches. The curved inclined castings A A A of the chutes are connected by flanges and bolts g to the under side of the collars or mouthpieces D, which are connected to the platform of the truck by wide flanges d. mouth-pieces D are preferably constructed with a flaring opening, as shown, and may be arranged in the platform of the truck, so as to readily turn therein for permitting the chute to be swung around at any desired angle.

For the purpose of adjusting the chutes in contact with the mouths of the retorts, I provide tapered sliding sections B B B", adapted to fit over the ends of sections A A A as shown, and provide such sections B B B" with lateral slots 1) for receiving guide-pins Z, projecting laterally from the sides of sections A A A". In practice each sliding section, as B, is pivotally connected by a pin t to a lever a, which is pivoted at its inner end to an arm a, such as shown in the drawings as projecting from section A. The heads or mouth-pieces D, to which the chutes are bolted, are preferably provided with annular grooves and circular flanges d for receiving the edges of the platform-plates of the carriage.

In case the carriage is constructed to carry three charging-chutes, as shown, it is provided at the top with a platform-plate C, composed of four pieces or sections,which are provided at the middle portion of their abutting edges with semicircular openings for receivin g the heads D. The sections have also cast with or otherwise secured to them lugs c at their abutting edges and at or near their outer sides, and are secured by bolts e passing through such lugs below and above, as shown in Fig. 2. hen the sections are being fitted together, they are inserted in the grooves between the flanges of heads D and then connected by the bolts 6.

The carriage is provided with wheels F on The IOC

axles f, arranged to run in the channel-bars H or upon any other suitable rails. One of the channel-bars H is provided on its under edge with a rack h, with which there meshes a pinion for propelling the carriage on its track. The propelling mechanism consist of a hanger K, attached tothe under side of the platform and having arranged in its lower end an axle carrying at one end the pinion 713, meshing with rack 7t, and at the other end a grooved pulley k, on which is placed a chain 70" for turning it. If required, a sprocketwheel and chain may be used.

The hoppers P are supported by legs 13 on top of the platform 0, and I preferably provide a separate hopper for each chute, as shown in Fig. 3. Each hopper is provided at the bottom with two swinging doors a hinged at their outer edges, as shown, and meeting at their inner edges in the middle at the bottom of the hopper. The doors when closed are held together by two short lever-arms 7", hearing at their free ends against the doors and rigidly connected to rock shafts O, mounted in bearings one on each side of the carriage. and such rock-shafts are each provided at one end with a long arm or levero 0', which are slotted at their outer ends and connected by studs or pins to a grooved wheel M, which is mounted on a short axle projecting from the side of the hopper. The operating-chain m is passed over the grooved wheel M and extends down through holes in the platform C.

By means of the wheel and slotted levers 0 0', connecting to the rock-shafts O, the short lever-arms 1' may be simultaneously thrown back, thus simultaneously releasing both of the doors n for dropping the charge of coal from the hopper into the chute, from which it is delivered into the inclined retort.

The openings in the bottom of the hoppers and the openings in the heads D of the chutes are preferably elongated or elliptical in shape, with their greatest diameter arranged parallel with the mouths of the retorts, and the chutes are also elliptical in cross'section, and are arranged with their greatest diameters ex tending laterally across the mouths of the retorts for more perfectly and uniformly distributing the coal over the entire bottom and throughout the length of the inclined retort. This construction of parts has been found essential in practice in order to secure the best results.

By means of the hoppers and the mecl1anism for operating their doors mounted upon the platform of the carriage which supports the chutes a singleattendant standing on the working-floor W below can, through the medium of chain m, admit the charge to each retort. The same attendant or workman can also, through the medium of chain 7;, connected with wheel 70, turn pinions 7c, engaging with rack 71, and thus propel the carriage to the exact position required for connecting one of the chutes with any one of the inclined retorts to be charged. The apparatus is thus made more economical and convenient than heretofore, and the charging operation is very quickly performed, so that very little waste of gas will arise from opening the retort.

The charging-hopper for the three chutes may be composed of a single casing divided by partitions into three compartments; but I prefer three separate hoppers, as shown in Fig. 3, arranged upon a single platform.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. A device or apparatus for charging inclined retorts, comprising a wheeled carriage, a coal-hopper mounted on the platform above the open mouth of a chute and having bottom doors adapted to be simultaneously opened, and a chute rotatively mounted in a circular opening in the platform of said carriage,substantially as described.

2. The hopper mounted upon a carriage and provided with two bottom doors meeting at the middle, in combination with two rockshafts, one on each side of the carriage, two short lever-arms projecting from said shafts and hearing at their free ends against the doors, the lever-arms 0 0, and an operatingwheel, said arms connecting the rock-shafts with said wheel for simultaneously opening the doors of the hopper, substantially as described.

3. An inclined charging-chute, oval or elliptical in cross-section and having an elongated opening in its mouth-piece, in combination with a hopper supported above it and having an elongated opening in its bottom, both of which openings are arranged with their long axes parallel with the months of the retorts, and means for closing the bottom of the hopper, whereby the charge of coal is evenlyand uniformly spread in an inclined retort, substantially as described.

4. The coal-hopper mounted upon a carriage and provided with two bottom doors, in combination with two rock-shafts having lever-arms bearing at their free ends against the doors, the lever-arms o 0, an operatingwheel M, engaged by said arms, and an endless chain m on said wheel and extending down below the carriage, whereby an attend ant standing on the working-floor below can by means of the chain discharge the coal from the hopper into a chute which may conmeet with a retort to be charged, as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. FITZGERALD, D. II. A. McNEILL. 

